Calisthenic toy



June 16, 1925.

P. ESSER CALISTHENIC TOY Filed Oct. 11, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Av VENTORi $1M /sm/ M WZXA TTORNEI June 16, 1925.

P. ESSER CALISTHEN IC TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11, 1921 M gr w.iwf mlllfl lul M 3m 6m ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 192 I "UNITED STATESPETER ESSER, OF CLIFTON, NEW

cALIs'rHENIo' TOY.

Applic ation an October 11, 1921. seriarno. 507,1isf

T0, oil whomit may concern: I

Be itkn'own that I, PETER Essen, a citizen of theUnited States, and aresident oi Clifton, in the county of Passaic and State of 5 New Jersey,have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Calisthenic Toys, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Themain object of this invention is to produce a toyin which amanikin,representing a child or youhgperson, is caused to simulate themovements of the diversion known jumpingv "rope, the figure apparentlyboundingor jumping up, as the bight of the rope passes below its feet,and then assume a 16, position of resc' onan ostensibly support ingsuriace as the rope completes its cycle of movement about the figure.

;A, furtherobject is in the provision of a toy capable of operating in amanner depictive of a circus ring performance in ad,- dition totheforegoing, v I

Another object is to provid'ea toy adapted for indooramusement,particularly for girls, the toy being easily andquietlyoperated, capable of a high degree of ornamentation and produced at amoderate cost.

These and other likeobj ects are attained by the novelconstruction,combination and are rangement of parts hereinafterdescribed 3 and shown in the accompanying drawings,

forming, a material part of this disclosure,

and in whichz- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing; an

embodiment of the invention in its more complete form; v v

Fi ureQisan enlarged fragmentary section, vertical view' of the drivingdevice used therein. i V

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line of Figure 2. V

I*igure 4L a perspective View showing a modification of the toy,simplified in its con struction.

Figure 5 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view of the same.showing the driving means; i a l a Figure 6 is a fragmentary front viewshowing. a modified driving means.

"Referringto the figures in detail, in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings,the numeral 15 designates a flat rectangular platform mounted on arevoluble axle shaft 16. fixed near its ends in wheels 17 andhavingajpivoted castor'18 carried in a front projection 1:9 in

which is hinged a tongue 2Q.

axle shaft 16, is an ornamentally. turned pedestal or distance piece 21and secured on its upperend is an urn or flower pot :22, through thecenter of which passes a flag 6 stalf 23. i

register below the stall is a vertical shaft 24 fixed in the raisedbottom of the urn and emending axially down through the pedestal andplatform, its lower end having 55 secured to it abevel ear 25 meshinwith a l on the axle siatt 16,

Fixed centrally on the platform, over the bevel pinion 26 fixer as bestshown inFig. 2, and from this it will be seen that when the truck orwheeled plat} form 15 is caused to travel overa fiat surface 0 thattheurn willbe rotated.

Revolubly rnounted transversely in i the walls of'the urn, below itsraised bottom, are spindles 27 and 28 having at their outer ex tendingends ofiset cranks 29,and 30, and, neartheirin'ner end are fixed pinions31 and 32 engaging a crown gear 38 fixed on top of the pedestal 21 thusas rotary motion is conveyeduto the urn the spindles will be revolved] iA manikin or figure 34 dressed to represent a child, havingits armshanging pendant at its sides is loosely journalled on the pinof thecrank 29, one of the hands 35' of the manikin appearing to grasp thecrank 5 while the other hand is engaged with one of the straightparallel sides or nodes of a stiff arched loop 36, the other side ofwhich is V pivoted to the manikin opposite the crank 29.,

The feet 37 of the manikin are weighted i in order to maintain thefigure essentially perpendicular as it is caused to gyrate onitssupporting crank about the axis of the spindle 2-7 while the loop 36',representing a rope,

is moved ina true circular path, under the feet when the figure israised, and over the head when it is lowered, presenting the illusion ofa child jumping a rope and at the sametinie travelling in :a circularpath about the flag staff and flower carrying urn on a 101) levelhorizontal plane.

The other crank 30 engages in a similar manner with the body of a figurerepresent-i ing a horse 38 having weighted feet 39 and provided with asaddle &O, the feet of the 105 childand horse, when the figures are intheir lowermost positions nearly or quite making contact with theplatforinlfi.

As the horse is supported above its center of gravity its equilibrium isreadily maintained and should it lose its balance, by the gallopingmovement imparted to it by the crank, it is recovered by contact of itsfeet with the platform.

Fixed on the spindle 28 is a sprocket 41 driving a chain 42 trained overanother sprocket 43 fixed to a spindle 44 journalled in a support 45extending up from the urn.

Formed with the outer end of the spindle 44 is a crank 46 and mounted onthe crank is another figural representation of a child 47, provided witharms, hands and weighted feet, as before described, and arranged to moverelative to the travel of the rope loop 48, actuated by the spindle.

It is to be noted that the manikin 47 must move in synchronism to thehorse 38, so that its feet may make appropriate contact with the flatsaddle 40 at intervals and in order to accomplish this the chain 42 isused in preference to a belt or band which might slip and causeconfusion.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the several figures are causedto move collectively' in a manner adapted to afford amusement forchildren and particularly as an indoor entertainment on the order of acircus performance.

In the modfication shown in Figures 4 and 5 a wheeled truck 50 has uponits platform a simple scene representing a galden, including a fence 51and shrubbery 52, the latter enclosing a vertical chamber 53, in theupper part of which is mounted a spindle 54 having a pulley 55 driven bya belt or cord 56 extending through the platform to a driving pulley 57fixed on the axle shaft 58.

This axle shaft is mounted in the rear wheels 59 and may be driven by amotor 60 of spring actuated type as shown.

A simpler form is indicated in Figure 6 in which a bracket 61 fixed onthe platform 50, carries a spindle 62 on which a driving pulley 63 issecured for actuating the belt 56, and the extending end of the spindle54 is formed into a manually operable crank 64.

Fixed to the extending end of the spindle 54 is a transverse bar 65having at one end a crank pin 66 and at the other, one of the nodes ofthe loop 67 which is thus caused to pass circuitously around the manikin68 pivoted on the crank 66, the crank being supported in this case, inthe fence 51, as at 69.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple device for this purposehas been disclosed in the preferred form of its embodiment, but it isnot desired to restrict the details to the exact construction shown, itbeing obvious that changes, not involving the exercise of invention, maybe made without conflicting with the scope of the claims heretoappended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A toy comprising a wheeled dirigible platform, a single hollowstandard thereon, a spindle revoluble transversely in said standard atthe upper end thereof, cranks on the ends of said spindle, a manikinjournalled above its center of gravity on one of said cranks whereby itis caused to move reciprocatively in a substantially vertical plane, a Ushaped loop fixedly carried by said spindle diametrically opposite thecrank, the bight of said loop passing under said manikin when the latteris raised and over the manikin when in its lowermost position, a figuralelement actuated by the other crank, said element having Weighted feetto extend nearly to said platform and maintain the element erect bygravity, a positive gear drive wholly Within said standard for actuatingsaid spindle, said means being actuated by the wheels of said platformupon movement thereof, and a motor for propelling said platform.

2. A toy comprising a single standard, a spindle mounted transverselytherein, said spindle having an extending crank, a manikin jo'urnalledat its waist line on said crank, a wheeled platform carrying saidstandard and upon which the lower extremity of said manikin makescontact when in its lowermost position whereby it is maintainedsubstantially horizontal, a loop carried by said spindle adapted to movecircumambiently of said manikin, an upright arm fixed on said turntable,a spindle revoluble in the upper portion of said arm, said spindlehaving a crank, a second manikin supported and actuated by said crank,means to communicate rotary motion between said spindles, a figuralobject on the ends of the first named spindle, means to actuate saidobject conjunctively with said manikin; a motor for actuating the axleof said platform, and operative connections between the axle and saidfirst named spindle.

3. A toy comprising a wheeled dirigible platform having an axle fixed inthe rear wheels, a standard on said platform, a turntable on thestandard, a Vertical shaft in said standard geared to said axle forrotating said turntable, a crown gear fixed on said standard, opposedtransverse spindles rotatable in said turntable, pinions on saidspindles meshing with said crown gear, cranks on the outer ends of thespindles, a figural object journalled on one of said cranks whereby itis raised and lowered, a manikin on the other crank, and means forpassing a loop circuitously around said manikin as it is raised andlowered by its crank. 2

4. A toy comprising a wheeled dirigible platform, a standard thereon,aturntable rotatable on the standard, means actuated by the wheels ofsaid platform for rotating said turntable, a crown gear fixed on saidstandard, spindles rotatable transversely in said turntable, pinions onsaid spindles meshing with said crown gear, cranks on the outer ends ofthe spindles, a figural object journalled on one of said cranks, amanikin on the other crank, a second manikin supported over the figuralobject, means for raising and lowering said second manikin relative tothe object, loops rotatable about said manikins, the axis ofrotation ofsaid loops passing transversely therethrough, and means for maintainingsaid manikins substantially erect irrespective of their circuitous andreciprocative movements.

5. A toy comprisinga wheeled platform having an axle fixed in the rearwheels, a standard on said platform, a turntable on the standard, avertical shaft in said standard geared to said axle for rotating saidturntable, a crown gear fixed on said standard, opposed transversespindles rotatable in said turntable, pinions 011 said spindles meshingwith said crown gear, cranks on the outer ends of the spindles, afigural object journalled on one of said cranks whereby it is raised andlowered, a manikin on the other crank, a post fixed to extend above saidturntable, a cranked spindle journalled in said post parallel to thespindle on which said figural object is mounted, positive drivingconnections between said spindles, a second inanikin and loop engagedwith the cranked portion of the last named spindle, and loops driven bythe crank supporting the respective manikin to pass circumambientlytherearound.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this application.

PETER ESSER.

